


Surprisingly Like A Happily Ever After

by mmmdraco



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: F/M, Genderswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-10 04:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/462097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmmdraco/pseuds/mmmdraco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Shindou Hikaru were a girl...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprisingly Like A Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I mean no harm, I have no money... Stuff like that. Yeah.

Touya Akira knew from the time he turned 12 that he would one day be one of the greatest go players ever to live. Unfortunately, it was only because he had seen another of his own level, was beaten by such a person, recognized the strength therein, and knew that *next time*, he would win. The strange thing, though, is that this opponent was a girl.

It was odd for women to play go in general, odder still for them to attempt to become pros, and oddest of all for them to make the regular league rather than the women's league, and to be competition! It was unheard of for a woman to give 7-dans a hard time, but Hikaru had from the get-go.

The girl had beaten him first in his father's own go parlor -- with a level of mastery that belied the slapdash way she placed her stones. Her nail polish was chipped, but Akira could tell it wasn't from playing the game of go. The second time, he'd challenged her after finding her on the street. The defeat that time had been worse.

When he found out that she was playing at her school's go club, he almost joined his school's own team, but remembered that she would be playing with the females. He thought he might be able to get away with dressing up as a girl for one tournament, at least, but realized his school's girls wore relatively short skirts, and the idea of shaving his legs wasn't a particularly appealing one.

When she became an insei, he followed her record and made a point to finally take the pro test. His father had been bothering him about it for months. He'd been hesitant because he knew there were few people in the lower ranks who could give him as much challenge as even the least of his father's students. But, she would be there soon. And if he was waiting, then he'd get to play her sooner as she wouldn't even take his calls.

Their first match never came to fruition because his father had a heart attack just beforehand. Then, while in the hospital, Touya Kouyo had lost an Internet match to an entity named Sai -- Akira had thought of Hikaru in conjunction with Sai several times, but there was never proof. Yet, when he went to visit his father after the match, and his father's sudden retirement, Hikaru was there, and Ogata was grabbing her roughly. Akira shoved the other man off and pulled her close for a moment to keep him off. She whimpered and pulled away before he could say a word. Akira had a long talk with Ogata that day.

Suddenly, Hikaru stopped coming to her matches. Touya wondered briefly if it had something to do with Ogata trying to molest her, or whether she had gotten her first period and was now evaluating her life. For several days in a row, he's skipped his last period class to stand outside her school. On the third day, a girl approached him. "Are you waiting on someone?" She leaned forward and held her bag behind her with both hands.

"Ah, Shindou Hikaru-chan," he said, wondering if he was actually blushing or merely felt like it.  
The girl laughed. "Are you the one she's been brooding over? Come on, she's in the library. I'll show you where it is." The girl grabbed him by the arm and dragged him across the campus and through the building. "There she is," the girl said and pointed near a window before seeing herself out. "Good luck!"

Now that he was here, what was he supposed to do? His only hope was to use the methods of the only frame of reference he shared with the girl: go. He could choose a standard opening, or an interesting hand. Thinking about it briefly, he figured the latter was more likely to get an honest response. He strode over to her table, set his bag down, sat opposite her, and smiled. "Hikaru-chan, why haven't you been showing up to play with me?"

It suddenly seemed like there were a lot of people staring at them. Hikaru blushed and continued to read the book she'd been leafing through. "I'm not going to play go anymore," she whispered.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Hikaru-chan!" She pulled it back quickly. "Your go is too wonderful to not be played."

She smiled sadly at him. "My go is gone, Akira-kun. If it ever comes back, I'll make certain to find you, but until then, I must ask you to forget me. Also, please don't come looking for me anymore. It's embarrassing."

He watched her for a while as she steadfastly ignored him. "Just, try to get it back, at least?" She didn't look up, even as he walked away.

Her go came back with a vengeance, though. She re-entered the league, and when they played again, he nearly lost. He was ashamed to admit that he'd been distracted by the vanilla scent of her perfume, and the fact that she wasn't wearing any nail polish this time.

When the Hokuto Cup came, they both qualified, along with a member of the Kyoto Go Association named Yashiro. Without really thinking, he extended the invitation for both Hikaru and Yashiro to stay at his house for a few days before the cup so they could prepare. Hikaru blushed hotly at first, then asked, "Would there be a separate room for me to sleep in, Akira-kun?" When he assured her that this was so, she smiled. "Great. Then, I'll expect you to call and confirm that for my mother."

Akira suddenly wasn't sure what he'd gotten himself into.

For the first night, they stayed awake the entire time playing games of speed go. They would have had the afternoon as well, but Hikaru had been making a bento for all three of them, and had gotten a little carried away. She'd also gotten lost on the way over, but had called to get directions before she got too turned around.

In the middle of the second day, though, something happened. He went to take a shower after getting up. He knocked on the door, got no response, and entered the bathroom. Only, there was Hikaru in the bathtub. She was listening to something through headphones and didn't seem to notice him. He backed out of the room slowly and made sure to lock the door behind him. He held a hand up to his mouth to keep himself from making any more noise. How amazing that the pink skin around her nipples was exactly the size of a go stone, and looked just as eager to be plucked as a stone from a go-ke.

Yashiro flirted endlessly with Hikaru during their practice sessions, and she brushed him off every time. Akira found that he couldn't be happier about it. He found himself at odd times thinking about her naked again, but figured it was only because she was the first girl he'd ever really seen that way.

After the cup ended, though, he realized that wasn't the case. How often had he heard other go players say that if they could find a woman who played beautiful go, they would happily get married?

Then, for whatever reason, Hikaru began to date Isumi. Akira had never disliked Isumi -- until the moment he heard that information. The next time he saw Hikaru, he kissed her softly before leaving. She called his phone several times that night and left several empty voicemails. Not even a week later, she'd broken up with Isumi.

Hikaru entered the semi-finals of the Honinbou tournament and finally beat Akira in a real match. Afterward, she shook his hand, and then she kissed him. He almost didn't mind losing that game.

A few days later, she came to his father's go parlor again. This time, she had her hair and makeup done. Her nails were painted, but it was only something clear and shiny. She was in a dress that was far less demure than the ones she wore for shidougo. She confessed to him, and he kissed her again in the darkened back room of his father's go parlor and asked her out on a date.

Less than a year later, as they were both on the cusp of gaining their own titles, he proposed during an official match. She'd put on the diamond ring as she hit her timer, and said "Yes," as he hit his. They decided to marry at the end of the current match schedule so they could be certain to have time for a honeymoon.

When he asked her where she wanted to go, she'd laughed and held his hand. "Can we go visit Shuusaku's grave in Innoshima?"

He was mildly ashamed of the fact that he thought to himself that such a place would be great as it would give then plenty of free time for "other" activities.

Almost nine months to the day after their honeymoon, their first child was born.

Hikaru wanted very badly to name the child "Nigiri". Akira vetoed the name, though, and together they decided on "Yukito" as their child had been born on the first snowy day of the year, only days before Akira's own birthday.

Hardly a month later, Hikaru was back to playing go professionally, and they had both been reprimanded by Hikaru's mother for leaving go ke uncovered in the house where Yukito might grab a stone and choke on it. They weren't worried just yet as the boy hadn't learned to crawl, but they resolved to make a point to store their go ke where Yukito couldn't reach.

They fought, sometimes, as all couples seemed to, but it was only ever about the go.

The rest of their lives was surprisingly like a happily ever after.


End file.
